May 3, 2016
-
Joe Franscella
,

Cybersecurity Is Becoming A Core Business Expense For Small Businesses

<p>When you hear cybersecurity, your first thoughts may be related to governments or large fortune 500 companies, but these two groups aren't the only ones that need to be protected. Small businesses realize that the security of their data and the personal information of their employees need protection as well. Experts have estimated that 40% of cyber breaches happen to small businesses. This is because every company that uses the Internet, no matter how big or small, is at <a href="https://www.anomali.com/blog/the-3-most-effective-steps-to-better-cyber-security">risk of a cyber attack.</a></p><p><strong>Securing Outlets</strong><br/> Now a day, working in a small company does not restrict your business to a particular part of the globe. Businesses can connect with clients through email and internet phone systems, but in doing so, they risk their data being breached. Paying for secure email hosting for each of your employees will provide crucial protection. Antivirus software will also provide a safer communication environment for both the company's and the client's data. It's also important for small businesses to invest in a secure internet phone so that all of their calls are protected. Keep in mind that 80% of breaches could have been detected before any damage was done. And with the <a href="https://www.anomali.com/products">right cybersecurity software</a>, those threats are sniffed out and expelled before anything negative occurs.</p><p><strong>Cyber Insurance</strong><br/> Particularly for small businesses that can't afford liabilities of any kind, cyber insurance is growing more and more popular. Different coverages depend on what you want to protect. You should base your cybersecurity insurance off the kind of industry you work in, what type of information you hold, how much money you have to spend, and how far you're willing to go to protect certain aspects of your company. It isn't too big of an expense to handle, and the coverage is usually more than enough. 60% of small businesses go under after a cyberthreat has attacked them. Investing money in a proper insurance plan as well as the right cybersecurity software are worth the investment when your company is on the line.</p><p><strong>Verification</strong><br/> One of the big issues for small businesses is determining who on their site is legitimate and who is a fraud. In 2015, the average company was hit by 133 successful fraudulent transactions. That's a 46% increase from 2014. But 19% of rejected transactions are actually legitimate customers so there's a big push for software that can verify who is real and who is a danger. Though this is a different type of cybersecurity, it's just as important as the others because it costs your business a lot of money. So online identity verification is being purchased to lower these numbers and prevent anyone from taking advantage of businesses that don't have the big budgets to protect themselves adequately.</p><p>In 2012, cybersecurity threats <a href="http://www.inc.com/magazine/201312/john-brandon/hackers-target-small-business.html" target="_blank">increased 300%</a> for small businesses because they were seen as the perfect targets. They weren't individuals, but they also didn't have the protection of huge companies. But now small businesses are taking note and changing things up. That doesn't mean they have to destroy their budgets though; it means they have to protect their income. By taking these steps, they are cracking down on the amount of money and information being stolen from them.</p><p>If you want to learn more about which best practices for information sharing you should be focusing on, <a href="{page_3453}">download</a> one of our latest whitepapers '<strong><a href="{page_3453}">Information Sharing Defeats Data Security Threats</a></strong>'.</p>

Get the Latest Anomali Updates and Cybersecurity News – Straight To Your Inbox

Become a subscriber to the Anomali Newsletter
Receive a monthly summary of our latest threat intelligence content, research, news, events, and more.